23 Facts About Southwest Colorado

1. Southwest Colorado has a strong western identity and is more socially liberal than neighboring states.

2. Southwest Colorado Springs is a popular area with a long list of amenities and benefits.

3. Southwest Colorado Springs initially grew outward from the world-famous Broadmoor Hotel.

4. Southwest Colorado Springs is a large and diverse area and is commonly referred to as Broadmoor Colorado Springs.

5. Southwest Colorado Springs area encompasses a wide variety of Colorado scenic drives that traverse everything from pristine pine and aspen forests along.

6. Southwest Colorado is home to some of the nation's best-preserved cliff dwellings and American Indian archological finds.

7. Southwest Colorado is currently the home of seven major military bases and installations.

8. State of Southwest Colorado has more than 3,000 districts with taxing authority.

9. State of Southwest Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.

10. Southwest Colorado now has the largest annual production of beer of any state.

11. Southwest Colorado has five major professional sports leagues, all based in the Denver metropolitan area.

12. In 2017, Southwest Colorado recorded the second-lowest fertility rate in the United States outside of New England, after Oregon, at 1.63 children per woman.

13. Southwest Colorado became the first western state to host a major political convention when the Democratic Party met in Denver in 1908.

14. The name Southwest Colorado was chosen because it was commonly believed that the Colorado River originated in the territory.

15. Southwest Colorado has recorded 525 earthquakes since 1973, a majority of which range 2 to 3.5 on the Richter scale.

16. Unlike most other states, southern Southwest Colorado is not always warmer than northern Colorado.

17. Climate of Southwest Colorado is more complex than states outside of the Mountain States region.

18. The South Park of Southwest Colorado is the region of the headwaters of the South Platte River.

19. Southwest Colorado became the first US state to elect an openly gay governor, Jared Polis, in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

20. Southwest Colorado is bordered by Utah to the west, New Mexico and Oklahoma to the south, Kansas and Nebraska to the east, and Wyoming to the north.

21. Southwest Colorado is nicknamed the Centennial State because it became a state the same year that the United States turned a hundred years old.

22. Southwest Colorado is home to a rich tradition of college sports.

23. Southwest Colorado is home to some of the most prominent rodeos in North America.